Jack panel unit



' Aug. 4, A1931.

Filed kJuly 19, 195o JACK PANEL UNIT E. A. DEMONET ET AL 4 Sheets-Sheet l Aug. 4, 1931. E. A. DEMoNET E1' Al. 1,817,738

JACK PANEL UNIT 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 y Filed July 19. 1930 Aug. 4,1931. E. A. DEMoNET E1' AL. 1,817,738

JACKT'PMEL. UNIT Filed July 19, 195o 4 sheets-sheet 5 Fles.

4 FIG] Aug. 4, 1931. E. A. DEMONET E'r AL. 1,817,738

JACK PANEL UNIT Filed July 19', 195o. sheets-sheet 4 FIGJO.

. 1 bath/jy .were 2 battery Mt 3 pa! Lg 4 irl/nk lamp 15' are cfa/ef 51e/ventas E, A. DEMO/VET PJ. COPE/VHA VER 339131 Mattan/w12* jatentecl ug. 4, 1931 UNITED STATES EUGENE A. DEMONET, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, AND PRESTON S. COPENHAVER, F v

BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNORS T0 THE WESTERN UNION TELE'G-RAPI-I COM- PATENT oir-FICE -EAILWY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OFfNEW YORK JACK PANEL 'UNIT Application :filed July 19, 1930. Serial N0. 469,131.

vThis invention relates to switchboard construction and more-particularly to a Jack panel unit assembly for a pin jack switch- V- board.

I-Ieretofore in pin jack switchboard construction as employed for telegraph purposes, it'has been the practice to mount a plurality of pin -jacks upon rectangular panel units in horizontal and vertical rows, the panel units then being assembled on a switchboard frame. Atypical panel layout may comprise 5 vertical rows and l() horizontal rows of .such rectangular panel units, each unit having sixteen jacks arranged in 'four vertical and-four horizontal rows.

Each line entering the telegraph office terminates Aat one of the switchboard jacks Vand in order that any of these lines may be easily and quickly connected to any other line enterin-gthe office, or connected to ground,

to a source of potential, or to any desired apparatus, it is the-practice to furnish one or moreadditional pin jacks for each line wire, thejacks being connected in groups termed switchboard-circuits. For convenience, the jacks associated with each line or circuit are grouped in one vertical'ro'w, which may eX- ten'd down across several panel units.VK Thus for'instance, a main li-ne circuit involving anti-induction apparatus and three normal loop assignments may require, at the switchboard, fifteen or morejacks.' The contact springs of these jacks areprovided with a lconsiderable number of cross connections,

which, in view of the fact that the switchiboard circuit extends over a number of panel units, must be made at the rear of the switchboard after the panel units have been assembled on` the-switchboard frame.V With a :switchboard having a large number of close- `ly 'spaced rowsrof acks, the individual j ack .spring soldering lugs are not readily accessible, an-d the operation of making a multitude of cross connections at the rear of the board is tedious and time consuming.

.Oneo the objects .of the present invention ated with a particular switchboard circuit ,may be supported upon the saine panel unit,

whereby the cross connections between the jacks of each circuit may be made prior to assembly of the jack strip upon the switchboard frame.

Another object is to provide a novel means readily attached and detached from the panel unit.

Other objects and advantages will herein-V after appear.

a In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a single insulating panel strip is provided for each switchboard circuit, two of such strips being secured together and to a central jack supporting plate to comprise a single panel unit. The elements of the jacks are assembled prior to attachment to the unit and the ]acks are securedto the central plate by means common to one jack. of each of the two switchboard circuits terminating at the panel unit. The central jack supporting plate is provided with lugs at the top yand bott-om thereof, oiset to opposite sides of the plate, by means of which the unit is -secured to horizontal crossbars forming ,part of the switchboard frame. rThe top Alugs of one Vhorizontal row of units alternate with the bottom lugs of the row` of units thereabove.

Card holders are secured to the front of each u nit, .adjacent each jack, by spring clips engaging in recesses provided in the sides of the panel s trips, the construction being suchV that the ad]acent panel units may be disposedk in close contact with each other.

In order that the invention ymay be more fully understood reference will be had tothe accompanying drawings in which Figurel is a sectional view on the line l--l of Figure 2, of a panel unit constructed in accordance with the present invention.;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the panel unit;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view of the front of switchboard having a number of panel units secured thereto;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a key which may be employed for operating the jacks shown in Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the panel `unit with a number of the jacks removed;

Figures 6 and 7 are plan views and section views respectively, ol an insulating spacing member employed in mounting the jacks upon the jack panel;

Figure 8 is a side view of one of the card holders novided for the individual jacks;

Figure 9 is a perspective view of the card holder; and

Figure 10 is a diagrammatic view of a single panel strip and associated switchboard circuit employing a large number or' pin jacks.

Referring irst to Figure 5 lthe panel unit comprises a pair of insulating panel strips 11 and 12 secured to each side of a central plate 13 by means of bolts 14. T he plate 13 extends rearwardly of the panel strips and its upper and lower ends are oilset as indicated by the numeral 15, to opposite sides of the plate, each of the oilset portions beingl provided with a vertical lug 16 aperturcd to receive a screw for attachment of the unit to the switchboard frame. A number of jacks 17 are secured to the plate 13 by bolts 13 passing through the jack assembly and through apertures 19 in the supporting plate. The sleeve contacts of the jacks rest upon a seat 2() extended rearwardly from the insulating panel strips 11 and 12 and each ot the panel strips is provided with openings 21 in alignment with the jacks for the reception of a cord plug` or key.

Referring new to Figure 1, the jacks comprise a sleeve spring 23, a sleeve normal sprinoN 24, a tip spring 25, a tip normal contact 26, and an eXtra contact 27 intermediate the sleeve and sleeve normal springs. rEhe jack contacts are separated by insulating members 23 and are rigidly secured together by tubular eyelets or rivets 29 passing through the contact springs and insulating` members. Insulatingsleeves 30 surround the eyelets and maintain the same out of electrical contact with the jack parts.

The bolts 18 by which two oli' the jacks are assembled back to back on each side of the centralplate 13, pass through the eyelets 29 and t irough insulating spaces 32 having bosses 33 disposed in the apertures 19 of the plate. so as to center the bolts in the apertures and denitely locate the jacks with respecttothe panel strips.

rl`he jacks are constructed so as to operate ither as a jack or as a switch. When employed as a switch, a key 34 is inserted in the panel opening switch, in the position shown with reference to the lower jack in Figure 1, permits the jack contacts to remain closed.

lf it is desired to open the jack contacts, the key is rotated 180O to the position shown with reference to the upper jack in Figure 1, thus causing the tip and sleeve springs to part from their normal contacts.

The construction of the key 34 is shown in perspective in Figure 4 and comprises an operating handle or knob 35, a cylindrical portion 36, a part of which is cut away as indicated at 37 to produce the intermediate portion 40, and a rectangular tip portion 41 joined to the intermediate portion by an inclined part 42. 'When the key is inserted in the jack in the normal position shown with reference to the lower jack in Figure 1, the intermediate portion 40 of the key rests within the arcuate continuation of the opening` 21 'formed in the seat 20 and the end of the sleeve spring 23 is positioned within the cut away part of the key.

A dili'erential spring` pressure is provided between the sleeve and sleeve normal contacts so as to cause the sleeve normal contact to Jfollow the sleeve contact until it engages the eX- tra contact 27. The sleeve normal contact is therefore always in engagement with one of the jack contacts.

The construction of the jack is specifically covered in a copending application, Serial No. 469,122, led July 19, 1930, and entitled Switchboard ack.

The switchboard frame, on which the jack panel units are assembled, has a number of horizontal cross bars, two of which are indicated in Figure 3 at 43 and 44. The panel units are secured to these cross bars by means or" the lugs 16. 1t will be noted that the lugs at the top and bottom of the intermediate panel unit alternate with the lugs at the bottom and top of the adjacent panel units 46 and 47 respectively, thus providing a compact supporting construction.

The panel strips 11 and 12 have flanges 48 at the outer edges thereof, these iianges being notched, as at 49, between the jack openings 21 to receive the spring clips of a card holder of the form shown in Figures 3 and 9. The card holder comprises a plate 50 having a number of inturned tabs 51 beneath which may be held a card containing identifying data for a particular jack opening. A spring member 52 is secured to the pack of the plate 50 as by welding and is provided with rearwardly extending clips 53 which engage in the recesses 49 of the insulating jack strips. The recesses 49 retain the card holders in deiinite position with the spring clips substantially flush with the sides of the panel, thus enabling the adjacent panel units to be placed in close contact with each other.

In Figure 10 a complete switchboard circuit is shown, involving fifteen jacks all of which, it is to be understood, are mounted upon a single panel unit of appropriate length. The switchboard circuit may be traced from the incoming line 55 through the tip and tip normal contacts of the line jack 12, line patching ack 11, wire chiefs jack 15, and anti-induction jack 13 and thence by conductor 56 to one winding 57 of the differential relay 58. The circuit continues by conductor 59 to the tip normal and tip contacts of a loop ack 8, through the loop 60 and thence by the sleeve and sleeve normal contacts of 'jack 8 to the loop jack 7 and similarly through the loops 61, loop jack 6 and loop 62 in series and thence from the sleeve normal contact of jack 6, by a conductor 63 to the tip and tip normal contacts of looping jack 10 and conductor 64 to the opposite winding 65 of the differential relay 58. The circuit continues from this point through-the winding of the signal relay 66, conductor 67 to the tip and tip normal contact of the battery patching jack 3 and battery jack 1, thence by conductor 68 and resistance lamp 69 to a grounded source of potential 70. The panel unit may also include a spare battery jack 2, a trunk jack 5 and associated signal lamp jack 4, a spare loop jack 9 and a wire chiefs signal lamp jack 14.

It will be noted that the contacts of the various jacks are joined by a considerable number of cross connections or strappings S, some of which are involved in the circuit traced and others of which are required to enable the normal circuit assignments to be changed through the key 34. Since all of the jacks appear upon a single panel unit these interconnections may be made prior to the assembling of the panel unit on the switchboard frame and thus a considerable saving in time effected.

What is claimed is:

1. A jack panel unit comprising a base plate, a. plurality of jacks mounted on said plate, an insulating panel .carried by said plate having openings in alignment with said jacks, said jacks being electrically discontinuous with the front of said panel.

Q. A jack panel unit comprising a metallic base plate having apertures along one side thereof, a plurality of jacks positioned along each side of said plate, insulating means in'- termediate said jacks and plate, having a portion extending into said apertures, meansy passing through said jacks and insulating means for securing the jacks to the plate, and a panel member mounted on said plate having openings in alignment with said jacks.

3. In combination, a jack having a plurality of contact springs, a tubular rivet rigidly securing said contact strips together, a panel unit and means passing through ksaid rivet for securing the jack to said panel unit. 1l. In combination, a jack comprising a plurality of Contact springs, a tubular rivet passing through said springs for securing the same rigidly together in insulated spaced relation, a panel unit having a base plate pro- `plurality of horizontal `panel units 4,secured thereto, each of said units .vided withapertures@iail insulating :spacing member having al'portion'r'thereof extending v into sai'd `--apertures, l:means 1 passing i through -saiditubular rivetfand said apertures for-securing-said.'jlackfto A'saidplate `and va-panel member secured to said vplate having an opening in alignment with said jack.

f5.- In combination, a #panel unit comprisingfa baseplate having 'apertures along one 'side thereof, a plurality-of yjacks arranged s,

along -eachLside' offsaid: plate, said jacks 'comprismg contact elements held together by tubular rivets, means passing through .said

ftubular' rivets vvand Vsaid lapertures for securing said jacks to the plate and insulating means "for'centering -said securing. means 1n said' apertures.

'6. A switchboard assembly comprisinga tframe members and comprising a base plate,aplurality ofjacks secured-to the plate'at each sidethereof,7an insulating panel member carried by? thel plate having openings in alignment with :said jacks, thereof ofset-n opposite directions from the center thereof andmeans passingthrough said lugs for securing the unit to the horizontal frame members.

7. -A switchboard assembly-comprising a plurality of horizontal frame members and a plurality of rows of panel units secured thereto, each of said units having fastening lugs at the upper and lower ends thereof offset in opposite directions from the center of the panel unit and means passing through said lugs for securing said units to said horizontal frame members, the lugs at one end of the panel units of each horizontal row alternating with those at the opposite end of the panel units of the adjacent row.

8. A panel unit comprising a base plate having a plurality ofjacks secured thereto, a panel member mounted on said plate, having openings in alignment with said jacks and card holders for said jacks carried by said panel member intermediate said openings, the sides of said panel member being recessed and said card holder having means engaged in said recesses to secure the same to said panel member.

9. A panel unit for a pin jack switchboard comprising a panel member having two vertical rows of openings therein, jacks mounted behind said panel unit in alignment with said openings, the edges of said panel member being recessed between said openings and card holders mounted on said unit, having means engaging in said recesses.

10. In combination a switchboard frame, a plurality of telegraph switchboard circuits terminating at said frame, each circuit including a plurality of jacks, a panel unit common to the jacks of each circuit comprising an insulating panel member having .a

said plate havinga lug at each vend? lsis vertical row of openings, means for mounting said jacks behind said panel member in alignment with said openings, a plurality of said panel units being secured to said frame in vertical alignment with their adjoining ends in dovetailed relation.

ll. A pin jack switchboard comprising a plurality of panel units, a plurality of switchboard circuits, a group of pin jacks for each of said switchboard circuits, each of said groups of acks being mounted upon a single panel unit, whereby interconnections between the jacks of each switchboard circuit may be made prior to installation of said panel units on said switchboard.

12. A pin jack switchboard comprising a plurality of panel units, a plurality of switchboard circuits, a group of pin jacks for each of said switchboard circuits, including two or more of such jacks as line, loop, wire chiefs, battery, signal lamp and patching jacks, each of said groups being mounted upon a single panel unit whereby cross connections between the jacks of each switchboard circuit may be made prior to installing said panel units on the switchboard.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures. l

EUGENE A. DEMONET. PRESTON S. COPENHAVER. 

